A few more photos from All Star weekend are coming out. So we’re sharing. I really like these photos because they kind of give you a taste of the camaraderie. But I think the picture you guys might like the best is the last one of Pau Gasol.

“I think I’m a special player, I’m clinching things not so easy to take”

umm… well…

Pau Gasol said he earned “the people’s respect and admiration” at the NBA, especially because he is the first Spaniard player to reach an NBA final

Yeah… not so much.

Look… Gasol is a nice player. But until he grows a pair and stands up to someone in the post, he’s not going to be “special.” Special players either play on both ends of the floor (like KG), or are so ridiculous offensively, that he lack of defense can be overlooked. Pau is neither.

The commercialization of the Olympics simply must stop. I get that Geico is sponsoring the coverage… to put the Geico Caveman on the Spanish National Team is going too far.

Seriously now… I don’t get how a team that features this doofus, Pau Gasoft, and a 17-year-old is regarded as the most serious threat to the US. Team Red, White and Blue smoked the Spaniards 119-82 in a game that saw the US regain is outside shooting stroke (12-25 3pt fg).

LeBron was the man again. He had 18 while DWade and Carmelo Anthony had 16 each. The Wade we see here is the Wade that is going to tear up the NBA in the first half of the season. He’s sick.

One last note: Jason Kidd finally took his first shot attempt in the Olympics (a made lay up). I don’t know if he has even played 10 minutes a game. Yet… he starts and then gives way to Chris Paul. Why is he even there?

Americans are always there to save the day. A tsunami strikes? We’ll ship supplies and lots of cash. An evil dictator needs to be overthrown? We’ll invade the country on a whim. The Spanish Olympic team makes a disgusting ethnic reference to the host country? Kobe, LeBron and D-Wade will swoop in, kick some Gasol ass and save the day. I’m looking forward to this morning’s matchup, even though there’s no way Team USA could lose to a bunch of cryin’ Spaniards.

That’s the Spanish basketball team… pushing the sides of their eyes backwards… in the classic, racist, “hey… look at me…. I’m Chinese now” pose. Yes, that’s Pau Gasol in there too (#4, 3rd from the right). And yes, there is a pretty good Asian population in LA. So their reaction to this should be fun.

The Celtics did what would normally have been enough to win that game last night. But let’s give credit where credit is due:

Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom didn’t let that happen.

“Gasoft” smartly took it right to KG for most of the night… taking advantage of his foul trouble. And as good as KG is as a defender, Gasol does seem to give him problems. Losing Perk’s muscle on Gasol hurts.

And they were both grabbing big rebounds and making plays… when they normally disappeared down the stretch. And there’s no arguing with 39 points and 23 rebounds out of those guys.

Now the question for Lakers fans is: Can they keep it up? I think a big performance in 1 out of 5 games amounts to more of an aberration than anything else. But its a welcome aberration for LA… as well as a glimpse into why the Lakers were able to score so many point all year long.

Now… if you REALLY want to impress me… do it in front of the 18,000 rabid maniacs that will spend time “warming up” in local watering holes before piling into the Garden tomorrow. I don’t think you have it in you.

For the third straight game, the Lakers are favored in Los Angeles. They didn’t cover in game 3. We know what happened in Game 4. Now Vegas has the Lakers -7 in game 5.

I don’t think the Lakers win by 7. I don’t even think the Lakers are going to win…. which makes this a great line for Vegas. They’ll get a ton of money from the “Lakers are toast” crowd eager to get 7 points… and they’ll get a ton from the “Celtics will mail it in crowd.” Heavy action on both sides… just how Vegas likes it.

“I’ll try to be as aggressive as I can, offensively and defensively,” Gasol told reporters on Saturday.

“I’ve tried to do a good job defensively on (Celtics forward Kevin) Garnett all series long but I’ll try to be a little more assertive on offense, if I get the chance.”

“If I get a chance” means “if Kobe passes me the ball.”

John Hollinger is suggesting the Lakers go small to open things up… which means Pau and a bunch of shooters (and not Lamar Odom). Basically… the Lakers are going to try everything they can… every lineup and trick.

And I can’t imagine what the players are going through. I’m nervous as hell.

There was Kobe Bryant last night… gliding through the air… flailing like a cartoon character falling off a cliff every time he got touched… and shooting. Oh… was Kobe ever shooting. A lot.

And I loved it.

Kobe shot 12 of 20 last night. Better than 50%. Good shooting night from Kobe. But it was his, ahem, passing that I REALLY loved to watch. All… ONE… of his assists were gorgeous. See for yourself: It was this one… to Pau Gasol (the look on his face is priceless. “Zee ball… she finally escapes Zee Mamba!”).

Kobe Bryant shot the ball 20 times. Sasha Vujacic was second on the team… with 10 attempts.

I will take that kind of game from Kobe every time. In fact… I’m begging him to play that exact same game again. Same for the rest of the Lakers. If there is some magic spell that would allow for all of those same shot attempts in Game 4… I’d sign up for it right now.

Because Kobe was “Bad Kobe” last night. Sure, he was on fire… but don’t be fooled… He was “Bad Kobe” through and through. Doubling up your teammates shot attempts is big-time bad. One assist is mega-bad. 87 points from the “vaunted” Lakers offense… at home… in Game 3 of the Finals… is a boy-band made up of week-one ‘American Idol’ rejects bad.

The Lakers need Pau Gasol to have MVP-type numbers for them to have a real chance… But Kobe Bryant needs to be the MVP. Kobe will never… EVER… allow anyone to look back at these Finals and say “sure… you won without Shaq… but Gasol was the Finals MVP.”

So keep shooting Kobe. Take 20 shots again in Game 4. 25 even. Hell… make it an even 30. Every shot you hoist… just makes things easier for the Celtics.

The Celtics got a combined 19 points on 8 of 36 shooting from Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

The Lakers got a combined 13 points on 5 of 18 shooting from Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.

Celtics fans are saying “We feel good going into Game 4 because we were close the whole way through even though 2 of our main threats were way off.” Lakers fans are saying “We feel good still winning even though 2 of our main threats were way off.” The difference is: One was an exception… one is a trend.

The Celtics complete lack of offensive production from Pierce and Garnett is completely new. Pierce has been awesome in this series. KG has run hot and cold… but not this cold. Odom and Gasol, however, have been largely absent from the Lakers offense for all 3 games (aside from a few spurts from Gasol).

So when it comes to Game 4… what is more likely to happen? Odom and Gasol magically figuring out how to join in the Kobe Bryant shooting extravaganza… or Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett hitting their season and playoff averages?

I’m not quite sure how Pau Gasol gets this crazy looking shot of his to work. What’s he doing with that top hand… tickling the ball? And that arm of his looks like a big stork’s leg. My head’s already throbbing after a wild night of beer pong… looking at this photo is making it worse.

So here we are… heading into Game 2… and the good news is that both Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins are going to play. We know we need Paul… but this year’s KG-infused Kendrick Perkins is a big factor against a team willing to give way to more physical players (exhibit A: Perk not moving out of Lamar Odom’s way).

If you’re a Celtics fan, it will no doubt ruin your morning to learn about the dish of apple pie a la mode that was sent to Kobe Bryant’s room the other day.

“You know, I’ve heard stories in the past about (the Lakers) coming in here and not even getting room service and stuff like that,” Bryant said yesterday at the Garden as his team practiced for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics tonight.

“But my room service is cool. I didn’t even ask for the ice cream, but they hooked me up,” Bryant said. “I’ve heard the horror stories from the past, in the ’80s, when the guys came in here. It’s not like that anymore.”

“We could play them seven times here and beat ’em!” Bryant shouted, according to several teammates and an arena official who overheard the screed. “We could play them on Mars or Pluto and beat ’em! We’re the better team!”